Trump revokes MOU that would have seen Snake River dams breached

Image: White House

President Trump yesterday revoked a Biden administration Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on restoring fish population the Columbia Snake River system that, among other things, would have led to the breaching of the four lower Snake River dams.

According to a White House fact sheet, the dam breaching would have resulted in reduced water supply to farmers, eliminated several shipping channels, had devastating impacts to agriculture, increased energy costs, and eliminated recreational opportunities throughout the region.

Additionally, says the White House, the dam breaches would have eliminated over 3,000 megawatts of secure and reliable hydroelectric generating capacity—which is enough generation to power 2.5 million American homes.

President Trump’s action was applauded by the Inland Ports and Navigation Group (IPNG)

“The MOU put our region on a path toward breaching the four lower Snake River dams, failing to consider the devastating economic impact such action would have on the region and the vital role that the river system plays in supporting the Pacific Northwest and national economy,” said IPNG Co-Chair, Leslie Druffel of the McGregor Company.

IPNG called the decision to rescind the MOU a significant step towards ensuring the continued prosperity of the Pacific Northwest. It noted that the Columbia Snake River system is a critical transportation route for the region, as well as for agriculture producers in the upper Midwest, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and contributing billions of dollars to the economy each year. It is the largest wheat export gateway in the U.S.

“Dams and salmon can co-exist,” said IPNG co-chair Patrick Harbison, of the Port of Kalama (Wash). “In fact, salmon runs have actually increased since the construction of the dams due to state-of-the-art bypass systems and fish ladders that were installed at each of the dams on the system.”

Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (of which IPNG is a part) executive director Neil Maunu stated, “The divisive issue of dam breaching has prevented the type of partnerships necessary to work together on productive strategies and actions to improve salmon populations for the benefit of all Pacific Northwest residents.” IPNG supports a comprehensive approach to salmon recovery in the region that focuses on projects that truly benefit salmon, such as reintroduction above Grand Coulee, habitat access and restoration, predator abatement, toxics reduction, and hatchery improvements. “We can have salmon and a robust economy at the same time.”